Netizens battle over Nov. 4 rally on Twitter

BINTANGNEWS.com
–Netizens
on Thursday engaged in a Twitter battle with hashtag trends reflecting either
support or rejection over the upcoming religion-driven rally on
Friday in Jakarta.

The rally is expected
to gather approximately 50,000 people in the nation's capital, including
participants from areas outside the city.

Twitter users have
been using the hashtags #bakalikutdemo [will participate in the rally], as
well as the opposing sentiment #jihadgwkerja [My Jihad is to work] and
#nggakikutdemo [will not participate in the rally] in their posts to voice
their opinions.

Rd Hadi Roesmanto,
with the handle @haditoya, posted on Thursday, "The November 4 action is
not only to defend religion (Islam) but also to defend Pancasila
#BakalIkutDemo".

"If the
government and police have been firm, maybe the 4-11-2016 action would not
happen, the outcome of weak law enforcement #penjarakanahok [jail Ahok]
#BakalIkutDemo," tweeted a user located in Yogyakarta, according to
his account.

Meanwhile, daughter
of former Indonesian president Abdurrahman Wahid (Gus Dur), Alissa Wahid, on
@AlissaWahid, had posted "Those #BakalIkutDemo is in their right; Those
#NggakIkutDemo is also in their right; Because there are many forms of love of
the homeland as part of faith. Love. Not hate."

BoynesAries on
‏@ariston_boy tweeted, "Striving for the family is much more dignified
#JihadGwKerja."

Islamic hardline
groups, such as the Islam Defenders Front (FPI), previously claimed that tens
of thousands Muslims from outside of Jakarta would partake in the mass
rally to push for the National Police to press ahead with legal actions against
gubernatorial candidate and incumbent Jakarta Governor Basuki “Ahok” Tjahaja
Purnama for alleged blasphemy.

The National Police
will reportedly deploy around 20,000 personnel, with additional
support from the TNI, which will deploy 2,500 personnel.***